


Sonnet

by Werecat203



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Medieval, Of Clearest Nights AU, Renaissance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 13:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8163776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Werecat203/pseuds/Werecat203
Summary: Two families both alike in pride and prowess, that wished to end an ancient feudSpoke in secret, and a sacred bond was hewn.Both families now exchange the pleasantries the wicked left lie,but in the shadows, treachery could make young lovers cry.For hidden in prosperity and coated with sweet words,a savage waits so quietly and prepares to draw his swords.





	

Judy stormed into her room and slammed her door. What made them think they could do this to her? How dare they. She had been promised her own brigade, not to be married off to some, fox. She shuddered at the word, she found it sickening. Of all the things she was to do, being married off to a beast was not acceptable, she would be nothing more than a mating toy.

But alas, as a middle daughter, she was not given the privilege of choosing her husband. Her parents had determined that an alliance with house Wilde would give them a clear advantage in any war they would face. Still, she was indignant, why did it have to be her, she had no great properties that would suit a wife. What of her sister Emily, she would make a much better wife to the beast? She grinned slightly at the thought of the sister who had tortured her so forced to serve a fox. Her grin turned to a frown as the reality hit that it would, in fact, be her.

The carriage arrived, in it, Judy knew sat her future husband. She found it quite humorous that a barbarian would ride in a carriage. She leaned out her window to catch a glimpse of the creature she was expected to marry, but as she leaned out her window her view was blocked by a most displeasing stone. All she managed to catch a glimpse of was a quick flash of red fur before it disappeared from her prying eyes.  
\---  
Nicholas stood in the chamber next to Richard Bulwark his mentor and ambassador for house Wilde as he spoke with some rabbit diplomat. He was bored, nervous, and slightly irritated. His parents had left him well enough alone for the better part of his life and he had taken the opportunity to run rampant. This would appear to be his father's punishment for him, not only was he now supposed to behave in a foreign land, but it would seem he was to be married to one.

These small little things blinked at him stupidly as he subtly squirmed where he stood. He wanted to run, he didn't want to be here, he didn't want to meet her. But he was dragged along anyway, he was going through with this whether he wanted it or not.  
\---  
"The Lady Hopps, your presence has been requested in the study."

The white rabbit bowed as he left the room, leaving Judy to blink in apprehension. She made her way through the castle, down the great stone hallways and stairwells until she stood before the great wooden door of the study. She had been instructed to wear her finest dress, a request she decided to ignore and instead she marched into the room in her riding gear, with her shoulders back and her eyes forward. They may be able to force her into marriage, but she still had a voice.

Her boots clicked against the stone floor as she made her way to the group of mammals standing in the middle of the room. Two foxes stood by an advisor of her father's, one appeared quite old with gray fur around his snout and eyes, the other was much younger and very youthful looking. She stared at them both with a steely expression.

"Ah, my Lady Hopps, so wonderful it is to have you join us.  
\---  
As Richard spoke Nicholas examined the great hall they were standing in, he had been told it was a study and by the large collections of books and parchments that would appear to be accurate. He had noticed everything was larger here while remaining a size too small. Perhaps, he mused, it was due to rabbits incessant need to mate. One couldn't walk two feet it would appear without stepping on a Lago.

"Now we understand that such an arrangement as this is highly, irregular."

The voice came from the rabbit advisor that spoke with Richard. Richard responded with a nod before speaking.

"We too are aware of the irregularity of this all, but we assure you that we agree with to the fullest."

The doors at the far end of the room flew open and a rabbit barged in. Nicholas turned to look as the rabbit, a doe, marched toward them as one would march into battle. She wore riding pants, boots, and a look that could turn a man to stone. As hard as he tried he couldn't help but crack a smirk at this rather stubborn looking rabbit.

"Ah, my Lady Hopps, so wonderful it is for you to join us."

So this must be her, Nicholas thought. He eyed her again, rather improper of her to meet him in her current dress, himself wearing a rather fine suit of green his mother said matched his eyes. Her impropriety amused him, perhaps she was the rebellious child as well, what fun that would be. Perhaps he should shirk tradition as well.

"Nicholas Wilde, son of the house of Piderius Wilde, a pleasure to meet you."

He said all of this with a slight bow, much to the shock of all present. He extended an elbow to the small doe and smiled.

"As it appears we are to marry, perhaps you would care to show me the grounds?"

The shock on the face of the advisors brought a smirk to his face and it would seem to hers as well.

"I would be honored, Lord Wilde."

Her voice was soft and sweet, but betrayed a strong spirit, for a bunny that is.  
\---  
He was handsome at least, for a fox. She led him by the arm out of the hall and down the hallway towards the gardens, as good a place as any to start a tour.

"At last, to be free of the stuffy air of aristocracy," he said with a grin as they stepped out into the midday sun. Judy looked up with a grin of her own dancing around her mouth.

"Where is your sense of propriety Lord Wilde," Judy said with a teasing grin.

"Oh please call me Nick, we are to be mates are we not," he paused as he spun in front of her and leaned down to her level, causing her to stop abruptly, "And what, pray tell, is your name?"

"Judith," she says, "My name is Judith Hopps, Sir Wilde."

"Judith please, Nick is fine. And as for your question, I keep my propriety with my sword, where it belongs."

She must admit, he was not what she was expecting. Still, she was not in favor of this arrangement, and she felt he ought to know.

"I do not wish to marry you, Nick."

To her surprise, he shrugged and kept walking, his stride never hindered.

"And I do not wish to marry you, Judith, can you not see we were made for each other. Our parents seem to feel so."

Judy grinned involuntarily at his dry humor. He had a certain charm about him, perhaps this was preferable if she was to spend her life with him. They walked on a ways until they came to the end of the gardens, marked by a wide moat. Nick went and instead of turning back the way they came, sat quietly down by the moat. Judy stood for a moment before she finally gave in and sat next to him on the ground, she studied him for a minute, he looked nothing like what she expected. He was well groomed, well dressed, and well spoken, not a beast at all.

"You seem quite fascinated with me, Judith."

She blinked and realized she had been staring at him in silence for a good while. A subtle and involuntary blush rose in her ears and she thought she saw a similar reaction from him.

"I apologize, it's just that, I've never actually seen a fox before."

A smile danced playfully on his lips.

"Not what you expected I take it?"

"Yes, but in a good way, I'm afraid I pictured you in a very negative light,"

"Oh well, Judith, I'll just have to shine a torch on your understanding."  
\---  
The days passed on and they spent more and more time together, partially because they felt obligated and partially because they had developed a genuine curiosity. Nick found himself reading the histories he found in the great study in an effort to deepen his conversations with Judy, and found himself thinking back on them when he was alone at night.

One such night he found himself wandering the grounds of castle Hopps as sleeplessness gripped him. He walked without aim and his meandering brought him to the stables where the prized steeds of the royal house were kept. The great lizards were smaller than the kind his people used, but not greatly so, they had majestic colors that arrayed their skin and spoke of the status of their rider. Nick walked from pen to pen eyeing each of the steeds respectfully, they came from good stock and no doubt possessed a powerful sprint.

A sudden noise drew him to a particular pen in which lay a beautiful blue lizard and next to it a gray bunny. Nick grinned as he watched Judy stroke the skin of the great beast, he opened the pen door quietly and slunk inside.

It was the growl of her steed that alerted her to his presence and she looked at him with a pleasant smile.

"Shush Jojo, it's only Nick," she said as she stroked under the lizard's neck.

"Only Nick, am I not a threat, are you not afraid this big bad fox might ravage and eat you?"

She tilted her head in thought, smiling widely the whole time.

"If you were to ravage me then you would think twice before eating me."

Nick raised his eyebrows as he made his way over to her. Sitting down beside her he leaned in and playfully bared his teeth.

"Someone thinks quite highly of themselves don't we rabbit?"

Judy giggled and pushed him away, he fell softly into the hay bed of the lizard's pen clutching his chest as though it held a fatal wound. He looked at Judy with a face of mock betrayal as he reached for her.

She rolled her eyes and reached over to grasp his paw, pulling him up till he had returned to his place next to her. As he righted himself Nick's attention turned to the beast before them.

"Quite a steed," he mused as he gently stroked the lizard's neck.

"I raised her from birth," Judy said, beaming with pride at the magnificent steed laying in front of them.

"She is very beautiful," Nick said as he turned his attention back to Judy. He grinned as he saw a slight blush travel up her ears, he slowly reached out towards her ears. She looked at his paw as it made its way towards her, stopping just short of its target.

"May I?"

Judy nodded and his paw finished its journey, it rested on her ears and he began to slowly rub them experimentally. Judy looked at the fox she saw completely different now, at first a beast, now had become a rather handsome suitor. At first an arranged marriage against her will, now it felt as if she had a choice. In all things Nick had given her a choice, the choice to leave, to say no, or to follow along.

"Judith," Nick said suddenly, Judy looked up at him, puzzled, "I believe I'm starting to fall for you."  
\---  
Days became weeks and as their respective families ironed out the details of their engagement, Nick and Judy ironed out the details of their own feelings.

Judy sat in her room as the sun rose on yet another day and thought back on the week of events that had transpired. She and Nick had spent the vast majority of that time together, walking the grounds, riding, cracking jokes at the parent's expense. It had all been rather pleasant, but she was still undecided on whether she enjoyed the presence of the fox as a novelty or something more. Their behavior had been anything but the proper introduction she had been expecting, in fact, nothing about Nick was to be expected, from his sarcastic wit to his appetite for knowledge.

She had come upon him in the study once, his muzzle buried in one of the histories. She had walked up behind him and covered his eyes in a playful act, Judy had always been a rather playful mammal after all. He had moaned at the interruption and attempted to roll over to face her, she held firmed and kept him still.

"It would appear I have been captured by a clever carrot farmer," he had said in his usual dry tone. Giggling Judy released him to ruffle the fur of his head, he took the opportunity to spin around and face her, for a moment their noses touched. In embarrassment Judy recoiled, covering herself with her ears as Nick hid his own blush with a grin.

"Why Judith how forward of you, if you wished for a kiss all you had to do was ask."

Judy gave Nick a playful slap on his chest before leaning in to see the book he was reading.

"Oh, that is a good one, of the great heroes of old. I bet you didn't think bunnies were capable of such feats."

"I have told you of my previous assumptions of rabbits."

It was true, he had explained as so had she the assumption they held on each other's kind. The vast majority it would appear was false, Nick had explained to Judy how far from a barbaric race the fox valued education and art, they had built great structures and painted beautiful mosaics. Judy, in turn, had talked of the great heroes and the vicious wars that scarred her kind's history, much different than the docile almost helpless way Nick had viewed them. To speak openly together of such prejudice made it all seem so silly and they laughed over their childish ideas.

"I must say," Nick said, snapping her out of her daydream, "I see why this marriage is being planned now."

Judy looked at Nick in confusion before leaning on his shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, your armies outnumber ours ten to one, being natural enemies it is in our best interest to prevent any conflict," he paused and looked at her, she had intended to keep her face stoic, but she was never very good at that. Clearly noticing the look on her face Nick added with a chuckle, "I am now, however, seeing other advantages to this arrangement."

He had wrapped his arm around her head, and in a daring move considering they had hardly done more than hug before, he kissed her. A short, soft peck on the cheek, nothing more, yet it was still something. Something that made Judy's ears feel as though they had been set aflame as the blood rushed to them.

Now Judy sat in her room the day before Nick was due to leave, wondering what she thought of him. He seemed a worthy enough suitor, not at all like any before him, he seemed to court her even though the marriage was all but assured. She found his company pleasant and was struck with horrible bouts of boredom in his absence. On many nights she would find herself thinking of him, much as she was right now.

A knock on her door roused her from her musings and she rose swiftly to answer it. As she pulled the door away, she was greeted by the pleasant sight of red fur, looking up she greeted Nick with a smile and beckoned him in.

"I am to leave soon, sooner than planned," Nick said, a touch of nervousness in his voice, "Judy, I have enjoyed my time here, my time with you, immensely. And I would like your permission to write you while I am away, if you will have me."

Judy grinned at the nervousness he tried to hide, crossing the room she wrapped him in an embrace.

"Write to me, my fox, woo me with your pen."  
\---  
And so he did, the letters took far too long to reach her then she would have liked, travel between their kingdoms being a rather long journey. But each one had an elegance that pulled her in and pleased her with its words.

My dearest Judy,

I still am giddy from our time together, there is a spring in my step so noticeable that the captain of my guard had commented it. I long to see you again and hope you keep these letters close to you. I would hate for any but you to see such an embarrassing side of me, if you betrayed my trust and published these letters, then I could never forgive you, as fluffy as you may be.

Judy grinned slightly at the empty threat before her.

I have received your letter, the one detailing the antics of your sister Emily. I would have done the same, one cannot suffer a fool too long or you become one yourself. I have noticed as well a certain aroma has begun to grace the papers of your letters to me, is it perhaps you are considering that this arrangement might not be so bad after all? I shall either return to you soon or call you to me, I find your absence quite unbearable and have taken to shining all the weapons in the armory during the quiet hours. These days I hardly hear a mammal being reprimanded for a dirty sword or spear, all of which gleam brilliantly and the poor souls know not why.

I miss you. I have already kissed your cheek dear Judy, I warn you, next time we meet I shall taste your lips.

Your caring, Nick

Judy blushed at his flowery words, their correspondence with each other had grown more and more scandalous as the weeks passed one into the other. She had long since come to the conclusion that she was quite in favor of this arrangement, there were, after all, many things much worse than marriage to such a charming fox.

As months passed into the other and the first leaves began to die and fall from the cradle of the trees. They drifted to the ground softly and their arrival marked a time of great jubilation for Judy. Her longtime friend, the Duchess Francine, who she and she alone referred to affectionately as Fru-Fru, and her family, the House Big of the artic shrews, would be arriving shortly for their annual visit. Judy waited expectantly for her dear friend's arrival, eagerly anticipating the news from far off lands and of explaining her own situation to her friend.

Her friend arrived late into the night, though that wouldn't stop Fru-Fru from badgering her with questions and gossips. Judy led her up to her room where they sat by the light of the candle flickering on the table by her bed.

"So I hear your marriage is to be arranged, and to a fox no less? How positively dreadful."

Judy nodded in a rather convincingly sorrowful manner as her eyes drifted to the most recent in a string of letters she had received. Francine caught her look and followed her eyes to the piece of parchment so carefully kept near the bed. With surprising speed and agility Fru-Fru darted from her seat and ran for the letter, Judy vainly tried to grab the small mammal but her fingers grasped nothing but air. Fru-Fru lifted the parchment, easily three times her own size, over her head and ran off into the corner with it where she began reading it aloud.

"Dearest Judy,

How I think you as I march on these cold nights of campaign, I long for the nights we shall spend together. I wish to take you in my arms and…oh," Fru-Fru paused as the letter went on further to describe in detail the many things Nick had planned for her. Judy knew them all quite well, she had read the letter at least ten times by now and was working on an equally inappropriate response.

Fru-Fru stared at her friend this eyes wide from shock.

"Please, Fru-Fru give it back." Judy grabbed for it, but the shrew leaped swiftly out of the way.

"No, Judy, you are going to explain yourself. Why does a betrothed girl such as the likes of you have such a scandalous letter as this? What would your fiancé think?"

"Oh, I think he would be rather pleased with himself," she said as she quickly snatched the letter back, "He did write it after all."

Fru-Fru's eyes widened even further.

"I thought this was a marriage of diplomacy."

"It was, is for our parents. To us, it has changed."

Fru-Fru smiled and ran to her friend, enveloping her in the tightest hug her small frame would allow. Judy picked up her friend and held her to her face, allowing the two to hug in a much more intimate fashion.

"So you are happy with the arrangement?"

"At first, I was against it, as was he. But now, I think of him constantly and I miss him terribly. It has been months since I've seen him, and when he left I still wasn't sure, but I feel now as if I could live without him."

Fru-Fru smiled as she stood in her friend's paw.

"Fate will always find a way, my dear. Whatt your parents want has nothing to do with it anymore, you must now take what you want."

Judy sighed and smiled at her friend, small tears of joy pooled softly at her eyes.

"I want him."  
\---  
As the first flakes of winter drifted softly to the ground, House Wilde was abuzz with preparations for their annual winter ball. It was a joyous affair and one of the few places one could expect to find members of nearly all species.

Nicholas was lounging in his private study, his body still sore from the long months he had spent on campaign. One of the kingdoms vassals had refused to pay taxes and raised an army, his father had charged him with the task of remedying the situation. He had marched with his battalion and after several months of war had brought the rebellious nation to its knees.

Now he was exhausted, but his mind raced to the upcoming ball and the dance that would take the center of it all. Family Hopps had been invited, as was to be expected, and his father had asked him to be considerate of the other guests. In other words, his father didn't want him to spend too much of his time with Judy, the bunny girl as he called her. It was clear to Nicholas that the marriage was truly a political affair, though for him this had become rather personal. Not only did his parents think they could decide who he was to marry, now they wished for him to ignore his future wife.

He would have none of it. He continued sinking into the couch and staring at the flames of the candles that scattered around the room. He himself planned on spending the whole night with his future bride, looking at the flesh scars he now possessed he wasn't willing to risk a second. If his father wished for the other guests to be entertained, he ought to do it himself.  
\---  
The night of the dance came and Nick stood on the balcony overlooking the entrance as family after family walked in, trailing their many servants behind them. He wore a bored expression as this or that House was introduced, The Lionhearts, The Weaseltons, The Fangmeyers. None of them mattered to him, the band began to tune their instruments one last time before starting a low and cheerful melody.

Then they arrived.

"The Family Hopps."

The introduction sent a bolt of excitement through him as he watched them file in, his tail wagging slightly.

There she was. She wore a silver dress, simple yet elegant, and her eyes seemed to burn through the air as he watched her enter. He made is way down from his perch and towards her, her eyes opening with joy as she glanced upon him. He made his way to her and bowed deeply.

"Lady Hopps, would you grace me with this dance?" He asked as he took her paw in his. She smiled at him and placed her other paw gently on his shoulder.

"I would be honored, Sir Wilde."

And so they danced.

True to himself, Nicholas forsook the other guests for the only one he wished to see. They danced together both slow and fast, the difference of stature making things awkward for but a moment before they found their rhythm. Their eyes rarely left the others and all present could plainly see the two were hopeless. As the music ended, they separated themselves from the crowd and made their way to the conservatory.

The tall glass ceiling being like nothing Judy had ever seen, she marveled at their presence.

"It's beautiful," she said as she spun to face Nick, he merely shrugged as he walked to her.

"I have seen many times; it has lost its splendor. But tonight, tonight you make everything beautiful again."

She blushed at his words and smiled shyly.

"I have a confession to make."

She looked at him with a look of interest. He leaned down so they were eye to eye.

"I wish to marry you, Lady Hopps."

"And I wish to marry you, Sir Wilde."

He smiled, large and toothy.

"Can you not see Judy; we're meant for each other. At least I believe so."

He leaned in and kept the promise he had written her months before. A single tender kiss, between predator and prey, and their worlds were changed forever.


End file.
